Steps Beyond Foundation Provides A Look At Dance In Hollywood's Golden Age

The Steps Beyond Foundation, Steps on Broadway's non-profit arm which connects artists and community through dialogue, performance, and artistic collaboration, invites author and film historian Max Alvarez to celebrate and share he magic of classic Hollywood musicals. The artist talk, Filming the Dance: Hollywood Musical Masters (Part 1), will take place Sunday, February 11, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. The event will discuss the creation of many of Hollywood's dance and musical masterpieces.

A multimedia presentation that looks at the artistic giants behind these Hollywood masterpieces, Alvarez will highlight some of the top performing and choreographic talent of the 1930s, '40s and, '50s, providing a behind the scenes look at the creative influences of Fred Astaire, The Nicholas Brothers, Gene Kelly, and of choreographers Busby Berkeley, Bob Fosse, and Gower Champion. During this Golden Age, Alvarez notes, Hollywood filmmakers understood the need for dancers, not cameras or editors to take the lead, and the towering achievements of these artists changed the trajectory of dance in popular culture, many decades later.

"Because the classics never go out of style, it is always important to look back at where we came from," explains Artistic Director of Steps Beyond Foundation, Diane Grumet. "Dance has such a rich history, and this Golden Age is so representative of the standards that these great artists have set forth even in our industry today."

Alvarez is a former visiting scholar for The Smithsonian Institution and Washington, D.C. Museum film curator, and currently teaches film history at John Jay College, and has studied tap at Steps on Broadway since 2010.

Steps Beyond Foundation, whose mission is to educate and engage the arts community, offers collaborative opportunities among established and emerging artists through community engagement, dance scholarships, performances and special events. The Artist Talk Series is focused on community connectedness and breeding new ideas.

Filming the Dance: Hollywood Musical Masters (Part 1) artist talk will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 11 in the Steps Studio Theater, on the 3rd floor. All tickets are $12, and on sale at https://stepsnyc.com/steps-beyond/special-events/artists-talks-series/artist-talk-tickets/

Steps on Broadway is located at 2121 Broadway at 74th Street, and is accessible by the 1,2, and 3 trains.

Launched in 2015 and directed by Diane Grumet, The Steps Beyond Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and sustaining dance artistry and cultivating supporters of the dance community. The Foundation offers collaborative opportunities among established and emerging artists through community engagement, dance scholarships, performances and special events.